De La Salle’s football schedule includes visit to the Houston area, home games against Folsom, Cathedral Catholic

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NORWALK, CA – DECEMBER 14: De La Salle head coach Justin Alumbaugh shares words with James Coby (22) after losing to St. John Bosco during the 2019 CIF State Football Championship Open Division Bowl Game at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. St. John Bosco defeated De La Salle 49-28. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

CONCORD — De La Salle waited until all the I’s were dotted and T’s were crossed before officially announcing its 2020 football schedule.

The formalities are done now — made official Friday — and here is how the biggest domino fell:

When athletic director Leo Lopoz told coach Justin Alumbaugh that the Spartans would have to travel this season, the administrator asked if the coach had a preference.

Alumbaugh did.

Texas or Ohio, he told his AD.

The Spartans had been to Texas once, five years ago. They lost in the Dallas area to Trinity 26-21 but returned to Concord understanding that the Friday Night Lights hoopla in the Lone Star State is no myth.

“When we played there in 2015, my wife walked about a mile and a half through a tailgate to get to the game,” Alumbaugh said. “She was there like an hour and a half before the game and said this is insane.”

Insane, but perfect.

So De La Salle is going back to Texas, this time to the Houston area. The Spartans will open the season against North Shore, a two-time defending state champion, in an ESPN game.

“What I think is I can’t wait,” Alumbaugh said, adding that the experience “was awesome” five years ago. “We lost. I would like to replay that game. But we played an incredible team and we were treated with the utmost respect.

“The way those guys conducted themselves from the beginning to the end was incredible — the food, the transportation. Just everything was absolutely top-notch and class-acts. The Friday Night Lights thing is real.”

The schedule also includes home games against Elk Grove, Cathedral Catholic of San Diego, St. Mary’s of Stockton and Folsom.

De La Salle will travel to Mountain View to play St. Francis.

Northern California’s top program will close the regular season against four East Bay Athletic League opponents — California, San Ramon Valley, Amador Valley and Clayton Valley Charter.

“I’m sure some people are going to say you’re playing a defending state champion right out of the gate; why not take it easy?” Alumbaugh said. “It’s like, ‘What are we doing? This is fun. This is high school football. This is fun.’ I am looking forward to it, our coaches are looking forward to it and our kids are going to look forward to it.”

The schedule

North Shore-Houston

When: Aug. 29, time TBA

Where: Houston area

Recent history: North Shore went 15-1 last season and won a Texas state championship. Finished campaign ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 4 nationally by MaxPreps (computer and writers’ poll). Also won a state championship and was ranked No. 1 in Texas by MaxPreps in 2018, finishing that season 16-0. Roster this fall will include four-star receiver Shadrach Banks (Texas A&M commit), four-star dual-threat QB Dematrius Davis (Virginia Tech commit) and four-star lineman Jaeden Roberts (offers from LSU, Alabama, according to 247Sports).

Elk Grove

When: Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

Where: De La Salle

Recent history: Went 10-5 last season, which ended in heartbreaking fashion on the road against another Concord opponent, Clayton Valley Charter. The Thundering Herd held a late 12-point lead in the rain but lost when Clayton Valley, a running team, rallied behind quarterback Jake Kern, a DLS transfer who threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:22 to send Elk Grove home for the winter with a 28-26 defeat.
De La Salle’s Lance Hackett (14) tackles St. Francis quarterback Ryan Daly last season. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

St. Francis

When: Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m.

Where: St. Francis

Recent history: The Lancers have lost to De La Salle in each of the past three seasons, including a 48-0 wipeout last fall. St. Francis took a step back last year, finishing 4-7, but will aim to return to its previous stature as a Bay Area powerhouse this fall.

Cathedral Catholic-San Diego

When: Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

Where: De La Salle

Recent history: Cathedral Catholic is coming off an 8-3 season in which it lost in the opening round of the San Diego Section playoffs. Two years ago, the Dons reached the Division 1-AA state championship game, losing in overtime to Folsom 21-14.

St. Mary’s-Stockton

When: Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.

Where: De La Salle

Recent history: The Rams had a down year by their standards last fall, finishing 6-5 and bowing out of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs in the first round. Running back Tyrei Washington (ranked No. 132 in the state among the Class of 2021 by 247Sports) returns. DLS beat St. Mary’s 56-17 in 2019.
DLS quarterback Dorian Hale runs for a touchdown last season against Folsom. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Folsom

When: Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.

Where: De La Salle

Recent history: This will mark the third consecutive season that the Sacramento-area powerhouse will test itself against De La Salle. Folsom’s star-studded 2018 team gave the Spartans a stern challenge, losing 14-0. Last year, with Paul Doherty replacing Kris Richardson as Folsom’s coach, DLS built a big lead on the road and held on 42-27. Dual-threat QB Ari Patu and cornerback Kaleb Higgins are ranked by 247Sports in the state’s Top 60 among the Class of 2021.

Recent history: San Ramon Valley ended the regular season last fall with a dramatic 17-16, double-overtime victory at home over rival Monte Vista. The victory gave the Wolves a home game in the first round of the NCS Division I playoffs against … Monte Vista. The season ended there for SRV as Monte Vista won 9-6 on a late field goal. Oh yeah, the campaign for SRV also included a 52-0 loss at DLS.

Amador Valley

When: Oct. 30, 7 p.m.

Where: De La Salle

Recent history: Amador Valley is moving up to the stronger Mountain Division of the East Bay Athletic League after a 5-0 run through the Valley Division last year. But even though the Dons didn’t have to face DLS in the regular season, they saw the Spartans in the opening round of the NCS playoffs, losing 69-14.
Omari Taylor of Clayton Valley Charter. (Photo by Gint Federas) Photo by Gint Federas

Recent history: Clayton Valley also finished the regular season last fall against DLS, a 56-14 defeat that dropped the Ugly Eagles’ record to 5-5 but was most remembered for CVC running back Omari Taylor playing one day after his brother was killed in the Orinda shooting on Halloween night. CVC rallied around Taylor and went on a magical five-game postseason run that ended with the program’s first state championship and countless memories.

Darren Sabedra is a sports reporter and the high school sports editor, overseeing prep coverage throughout the Bay Area. He's been with the Bay Area News Group since the early 1990s and has covered many sports beats, including Stanford football and basketball, pro baseball and the NFL.